"Wow! How did you modify the car to be like this?" Bart exclaimed excitedly from the passenger seat of the old car.
Adjusting the steering as they drove towards Titan Tower, Yuri casually replied, "Just read some books on mechanical modifications, and you'll figure it out."
"Books again...?" Bart's enthusiasm waned as soon as he heard about reading.
Titan Island was relatively small, and within two minutes, they reached the entrance of Titan Tower. Starfire and Gar were already waiting there.
Bart hastily jumped out of the car and approached Starfire, asking, "Hey, where are the others?"
"It's Friday today, so they should be coming later in the evening. You being the first one to arrive is quite rare. Wally used to be in the team, and he was always late, despite being the fastest among us," Starfire complimented Bart with a thumbs-up.
"Well, I kinda miss them. Tim, Conner, and Cassie," Bart said nostalgically.
"Yuri, the entrance to the underground parking is here!" On the other side, Gar pointed in a direction and called out to Yuri.
Looking over, Yuri saw the ground slowly opening up to reveal a downward passage. Titan Tower's underground parking was quite spacious and futuristic, equipped with numerous robotic arms and advanced components for automated maintenance.
However, there was not a single vehicle parked inside, which made sense since neither Starfire nor Beast Boy needed cars for transportation.
After parking the old car, Yuri returned to where Starfire and the others were and went straight to the point, asking, "Starfire, Gar, when can I go to the Star Labs?"
"No need to rush, Yuri. You can take some time to familiarize yourself with Titan Tower; this will be your home from now on," Starfire said, smiling as she placed her hand on Yuri's shoulder.
After contemplating for a moment, Yuri realized he was a bit tired from driving all the way from Keystone City to San Francisco. Unlike Bart and the other teenage heroes, he couldn't just visit Titan Tower a couple of days each week.
Most likely, he would need to stay in San Francisco for at least a few years. This gave him plenty of time to immerse himself in Star Labs; there was no need to rush.
"All right then, please show me and Bart around," Yuri agreed with Starfire's suggestion.
The group entered Titan Tower together, and suddenly, Gar asked Yuri, "By the way, Yuri, if you can tell me, what are you good at when it comes to fighting super-villains? I asked Wally, but he wouldn't tell me."
"Hmm... I'm pretty much like you," Yuri pondered for a moment before replying.
"Really? You can also become an entire zoo by yourself? But why is your skin normal? I mean, don't your superpowers have any side effects?" Gar asked in astonishment.
"As of now, it seems there are none, at least not manifested yet," Yuri shrugged.
"Well, I'm not jealous at all. People find my skin color cute, and I was invited to Hollywood for TV shows when I was very young..." Gar started to ramble.
Titan Tower had a total of ten floors, with six above ground and four below. Each floor was three times the height of a regular building and occupied a considerable area, accommodating hundreds of people without feeling crowded.
The tower had over a hundred rooms, including dozens of bedrooms, laboratories, archives, training rooms, command rooms, libraries, guest rooms, medical facilities... There were even a gym and a swimming pool.
However, the most important of these rooms was the Titan Hall, located on the top floor of Titan Tower. It served as the central hub for their operations and information sharing and also served as the Titans' gathering place for daily activities and entertainment.
From the Titan Hall, one could enjoy a clear view of the entire San Francisco Bay Area.
On either side of the Titan Hall were the Titan Jet hangar and the space shuttle launch bay.
It took Yuri a good half-hour to fully grasp the layout of Titan Tower, illustrating just how vast the base was.
"But honestly, the furniture in Titan Tower is awesome," Yuri commented while lounging comfortably on the sofa in the Titan Hall, a luxury he couldn't experience in his RV.
Starfire, Gar, and Bart were also seated on the sofa, casually chatting away.
*Beep! Beep!*
Suddenly, an electronic alert sound rang out.
Yuri jumped up from the sofa, asking, "What's happening? Does this sound mean someone is causing trouble in San Francisco?"
Encountering trouble right after arriving, he hoped he wasn't that unlucky.
"Don't worry, it means someone is trying to contact us," Starfire reassured him.
Gar explained, gesturing for Yuri to calm down.
Suddenly, a massive screen descended from above the hall, displaying an image of a smiling man in his thirties, radiating with a sunny expression as he looked at everyone.
Yuri eyes widened as his eyes was greeted by a tall and muscular guy. The blue battle attire almost resembling armor, with a red "S" symbol on the chest, made the situation quite different. For before them stood the world's greatest superhero and the acknowledged mightiest being on Earth - the invincible Man of Steel, Superman!
"Kori," Superman softly called Starfire by her real name. Starfire was her alias; her true name was Koriand'r, once a princess of Tamaran who sought refuge on Earth several years ago.
"Superman," Starfire replied.
"I received your request through Cyborg's invitation, and I am more than happy to welcome Conner to the Titans. He will be coming to Titan Tower after school today. Also, Robin - Batman agrees to let him become a Titan as well," Superman conveyed two pieces of good news to Starfire.
"Thank you for your approval, Superman, but I must reiterate one thing," Starfire earnestly expressed her requirement. "The Teen Titans operate independently, and we do not accept supervision or authority from the Justice League."
"Don't worry; we won't interfere with the Teen Titans' affairs, and neither will Batman," Superman promised.
Satisfied, Starfire nodded, and the communication ended as Superman's image disappeared.
As Superman's transmission ended, another contact request came in.
"Hmm?" Starfire frowned.
Another image appeared before them, this time of a woman - a magnificent figure adorned in ancient battle armor.
"Wonder Woman..." Yuri murmured, realizing that joining the Teen Titans had even more benefits than he thought.
The Teen Titans had a closer relationship with the Justice League than any other team, which meant they would be the first to receive news of alien invasions or catastrophic super-villains.
Countless high-quality DNA samples were waiting for Yuri's capture, and he didn't even have to search for them himself.
"Starfire." Wonder Woman's voice came through the speakers, sounding distinctly indifferent, contrasting sharply with Superman's demeanor. "I won't oppose you rebuilding the Teen Titans, but this doesn't concern Cassie! You better stay away from her."
°°°
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